Don't underestimate the poor and elderly; I was thrilled to refuse the class beauty's adva

As soon as the bell rang, Zhang Yifan packed his schoolbag and walked straight out of the classroom.

In the past, he would always dawdle and find an excuse to go around to Lin Wanqing's seat to see if she needed help or if she wanted to take her home.

But now, his steps are steady, his eyes are firm, and there is only one thing on his mind: to go home!

As he passed the playground, a classmate called him to go to the convenience store together, but he waved his hand and didn't turn around.

In just one day, he was no longer the "Zhang Da simp" who fawned over girls and was the laughingstock of the whole class.

……

Zhang Yifan pushed open the door to his home.

The entryway light was warm and soft. Three dishes and a soup were laid out on the dining table, with bowls and chopsticks neatly arranged. His parents sat at the table, their chopsticks untouched, clearly waiting for him.

"You're back? Quickly wash your hands and eat." Mom immediately got up and habitually went to heat up some soup for him.

Zhang Yifan gave a faint "hmm" and was about to pull out his chair.

【Ding--】

His movements suddenly stopped.

Again.

[System notification: During your senior year of high school, your father, Zhang Rongshan, was laid off from his factory.]

[The family lost its main income, and the economy instantly fell into crisis. To support your education, your father worked on construction sites carrying cement and bricks, enduring sun and rain; your mother, Liu Guilan, went to the vegetable market at dawn to help sort vegetables, working more than ten hours a day, until her back was so sore she could barely straighten up.]

They scrimped and saved, scrimping and saving every penny to give you tuition and living expenses.

But what about you?

You've spent all of your parents' hard-earned money on buying Lin Wanqing milk tea and snacks, trying to please her.

[After the college entrance exam, you scored 680 points, enough to get into a top-tier 985 university and make your parents proud. But because of Lin Wanqing's suggestion to "apply to the same university," you impulsively chose an ordinary second-tier university.]

When your parents found out, they were so angry that they fell seriously ill and didn't contact you for several years.

They may be harsh with their words, but they always care about you. Behind your back, they work tirelessly, secretly saving money for you, afraid you'll suffer out there.

Ultimately, both of them succumbed to exhaustion and passed away, without even seeing you one last time.

The death of your parents was the root cause of your breakdown, and the fundamental reason for your lifelong misery and inability to recover.

Zhang Yifan stood frozen in place, expressionless.

Your parents died from overwork!

Your whole family died from overwork!

This book was first published on 2020s.com, providing you with a reading experience free of errors and disordered chapters.

What's wrong with this lousy system?

【Ding--】

[Task posted: A belated apology.]

[Task Description: Go to your parents' graves and sincerely say "I'm sorry" to them.]

[Reward for the task: 100,000 RMB in cash.]

Zhang Yifan subconsciously touched his pocket.

The bank card is still there, with 200,000 yuan in it. Adding this 100,000 yuan, that makes 300,000 yuan.

He looked up at his parents at the dining table. His mother had many small wounds on her hands, and his father had a few more strands of white hair at his temples. He looked exhausted.

For the past year, he has only had eyes for Lin Wanqing and has no idea that his father has been laid off.

But everything that happened today forced him to believe what the system had said.

Will my future self be such a scoundrel?

Fortunately, there is still a chance to make amends.

"Yifan? What are you standing there for?" Mom brought the soup to the table. "Sit down quickly, the food is getting cold."

Zhang Yifan gripped the armrest of the chair, but did not sit down.

"Dad, Mom."

The two looked up at the same time, their eyes falling on him.

"sorry."

Mom was taken aback: "What?"

"I was immature before." He glanced at the simple home-cooked dishes on the table, his tone calm but unusually serious. "I won't do it again."

As soon as he finished speaking, he bent down slightly and gently hugged his mother.

The mother froze on the spot, frantically setting the soup bowl down, her voice strained: "You, you child... what are you doing...?"

"I'm sorry," he said, burying his face in his mother's shoulder.

His mother hesitated before raising her hand and gently patting his back, her voice trembling slightly: "Silly child, why are you apologizing so abruptly..."

Beside him, the father's hand, holding a bowl, froze in mid-air, his knuckles turning slightly white.

After a few seconds of silence, he lowered his head and shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth.

"Alright," Dad's voice was a little hoarse. "Eat your food, it's getting cold."

Zhang Yifan slowly released his mother and turned to his father.

"dad."

"Um."

"sorry."

Dad still didn't look up, and gently stirred the bowl with his chopsticks a couple of times.

"Okay," he said softly. "Sit down and eat."

[Ding—Congratulations, host, on completing the mission.]

[Reward: 100,000 RMB in cash has been credited to your account. Current balance: 300,000 RMB.]

Zhang Yifan pulled out a chair, sat down, and picked up his chopsticks.

With tears in her eyes, his mother kept piling food into his bowl, saying, "Eat more, you've lost weight lately..."

Dad remained silent, placing the largest piece of pork rib from his bowl into his bowl without saying a word.

Zhang Yifan lowered his head and took a bite of the rib.

The sweet and sour flavor is delightfully warming and comforting.

This broken system is absurd and unethical, but taking this task is worthwhile.

After finishing his meal, Zhang Yifan got up to clear the dishes.

"You leave it there, Mom can handle it." Mom snatched it away, her eyes still red-rimmed. "What happened to you today? Did something happen to you at school?"

"no."

"Then suddenly..."

"I've figured it out."

His mother gave him a deep look, asked no more questions, and took the bowl into the kitchen.

Zhang Yifan sat on the sofa, while his father watched TV beside him; the two remained silent.

After a moment, Dad suddenly spoke.

"Yifan".

"Um."

"Um... Lin Wanqing, are you still buying things for her?"

Zhang Yifan was slightly taken aback.

He never imagined that his father had known about this all along.

"there is none left."

Dad nodded gently and didn't ask any further questions.

After a few seconds of silence, he spoke again, his voice very soft: "Study hard and don't get distracted by anything else."

"Okay, Dad."

Dad grunted in response and quietly turned the TV volume down a bit.

Zhang Yifan sat there, and suddenly felt a lump in his throat.

How come he never noticed before that his father was always so careful when speaking to him, afraid of hurting his self-esteem if he spoke too harshly, and afraid that he wouldn't listen if he spoke too softly?

Back in his room, Zhang Yifan closed the door and sat on the edge of the bed.

He took out his bank card from his pocket, his fingertips rubbing the hard plastic texture.

Three hundred thousand.

He couldn't explain to his parents where the money came from. He couldn't very well say that some system was forcibly broadcasting his life story of being a sixty-year-old scavenger to his eighteen-year-old self.

Let's not talk about it yet.

Let's wait until the college entrance exam is over and everything is stable before making any decisions.

He lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

The system's words flashed through his mind again: his parents had died from overwork while trying to save money for him.

fake.

Never in this lifetime.

He turned over and closed his eyes.

With 300,000 yuan in hand, he had to find a plausible reason so that his parents wouldn't have to work themselves to the bone anymore.